That Mark Zuckerberg, the world’s third-richest man, worth $211 billion, takes the path less traveled is no secret. But little did we know this unconventional approach extends to his superyachts, the $300 million Launchpad and its $30 million support vessel Wingman. While the world’s billionaire elite and tech tycoons, like Jeff Bezos, Jan Koum, and Nancy Walton Laurie, were ringing in the New Year aboard their luxury yachts in St. Barts, the 40-year-old Facebook founder was notably absent from the ultimate superyacht party of 2024.
His pleasure crafts, the Feadship marvel Launchpad and the Damen Yachting vessel Wingman (formerly named Dapple), were missing from the fleet of 173 yachts owned by the world’s wealthiest, which had transformed the Caribbean hotspot into a temporary playground.
Instead, Zuckerberg’s dynamic duo was docked in Tahiti, patiently awaiting the arrival of the avid surfer. Back in November 2024, the philanthropist had sent his $300 million superyacht on a approximately 4,800-mile journey from San Francisco to Tahiti. After enduring 12 days at sea and consuming an estimated 400,000 liters of diesel, the vessel was primed for his sun-soaked surfing adventure.
Surprisingly, even during the buzzing New Year’s celebrations, the yachts didn’t relocate to a livelier locale and remained stationed in Tahiti, awaiting their owner’s arrival. Whether Zuckerberg visited them during this period remains uncertain. Meta, under his leadership, banned accounts tracking private jet travel of celebrities and business leaders in 2024, keeping his whereabouts a well-guarded secret.
What’s not a secret, however, is his passion for surfing. Zuckerberg has often credited paddling into the ocean as his way to stay focused, a habit he pursues even when it sparks criticism.
One memorable instance saw him surfing while sipping what appeared to be a can of beer, flying Old Glory, and wearing a tuxedo. But it’s clear that public opinion doesn’t faze him. Otherwise, the centibillionaire and his fleet would have been reveling at St. Barts like the rest of his peers.
